A blog on building a happy life by Fionnuala Zinnecker

Tag: DIY

Designing and building a side table is not something I ever imagined I would do, but when I found myself suddenly in possession of four table legs, salvaged from the dump, it seemed like the natural thing to do. As someone who likes to see quick results once I have chosen a project, deciding on… Continue reading Building a Side Table from Scrap

So the new year is here! Happy 2018! While Christmas kind of snuck up on me and seemed to be upon me too soon, our holiday in Ireland over Chistmas and New Year gave me a great chance to recharge and make some plans for our home for this year. In making my list of… Continue reading Reviving our Laundry Room with Laura Ashley

By now you probably know that style-wise I’m a bit old fashioned. The sleek modern look is not one you’ll find in my home. Here and there perhaps as a radio, a phone or a lantern. For the most part though, my style is eclectic with a touch of nostalgia. When it comes to Christmas,… Continue reading Decorative Dried Orange Slices

A couple of months ago I began organising an Advent Craft Swap. I tagged a few people I thought might be interested and they tagged a few more. Some strangers got in touch too and pretty soon I had more than enough takers to get the swap up and running. I even had to turn… Continue reading Christmas Crafts: Making Clay Tree Decorations

Chair – a word that sends a shudder down the spine of my long-suffering husband, The Bavarian. With my renovation habit focusing heavily on chairs, he has more of less become conditioned to shouting “No. We are not taking it” whenever I look in the direction of a chair at a flea market, second hand shop or… Continue reading Re-upholstering A Dining Room Chair – A Tutorial

For the past week or so I have been pottering about with various Halloween-y things, sometimes to entertain the children and sometimes because I just can’t help myself. Autumn brings out the crafty side of me and once I get started on paper crafts I find it hard to put the scissors, card and glue… Continue reading Halloween Paper Crafts and Decorations

You know that hashtag on Instagram #ihavethisthingwithfloors? If you don’t, look it up. There are some incredibly pretty floors out there. I could scroll through the photos for hours. Well, anyway, I actually do have this thing with floors, in particular the laminate floors in my house. When we moved in, we hadn’t the time,… Continue reading What Lies Beneath, Part Two

We’ve gone away for the weekend to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. Foolish people that we are, we decided to make it a family affair. The children and the dog are what we have spent most of the last ten years on, so why not celebrate with them? I suggested. I am a fool. At… Continue reading Badhaus 1897 Cafe

Anyone following me over on Instagram will know that it is raining walnuts in our garden these days. Every few seconds, if you are out in the garden, you’ll hear a plonk as a walnut lands on the patio or there’ll be a mouse-like rustle from the rosebush announcing that a walnut or two have… Continue reading Autumn Crafts For Little Ones – Walnut Ladybirds

Last week I wrote about the accessories I bought this summer for our upstairs bathroom. They gave me the kick I needed to get going on making some changes to the bathroom I was beginning to hate. Just a few short weeks after beginning the makeover, I love my bathroom. Several small changes were all… Continue reading Our Budget Bathroom Makeover

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Fionnuala is an Irish mama to her three bilingual boys in Germany. She can usually be found, cuppa in hand, in the kitchen or garden with her children, chickens and dog. Planning new projects, writing, cooking, keeping an eye out for vintage treasures and taking photos for her award-winning blog are among her favourite pastimes. Her official job is project manager.